# Coronary Circulation --- **Coronary circulation** is the portion of the [[cardiovascular system]] that brings oxygen to the [[cardiac muscle]] itself. The heart cannot work anaerobically, but neither can it sop up the blood that moves through it. The solution is that there is a network of special [[blood vessels]] that feed it. >[!health] That's a lot! The heart is 1/200 of one's bodyweight but it uses 1/20 of the blood. The **coronary arteries** branch out directly from the [[blood vessels#The Great Vessels|aorta]], which is really convienient. This also means left sided heart problems can pretty quickly affect the bloodflow through these arteries and lead to ischemia. The main arteries are: - Left main coronary artery (LMCA) - This branches into the next two, the LAD and the LCX - Left anterior descending artery (LAD) - In the diagram below it is called the "anterior intraventricular artery" - This is the most recognized one because it supplies the most blood to the heart. This is why a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] of 100% blockage of the LAD is so deadly, it's referred to as the "widowmaker". - Left circumflex artery (LCX) - Right coronary artery (RCA) The **coronary veins** merge up into the **coronary sinus** which drains directly into the [[heart#Gross Anatomy of The Heart|left atrium]]. ![[coronary circulation.png]] ## Problems With Coronary Circulation - [[coronary artery disease]] - it has it's own special disease! - [[angina]] - when the coronary arteries become narrowed. - [[myocardial infarction]] - a "heart attack", when the coronary arteries become blocked. ___